Today, Seattle-based Carena launched CareSimple (www.caresimple.com),
a medical service that provides consumers easy and affordable access to
doctors and nurse practitioners 24/7 via phone and webcam. For the first
time, individuals and families in Washington State and California can
“go to the doctor” whenever they want without leaving their homes or
offices, for less than the cost of a standard doctor’s office visit.

“Everyone’s had a day ruined by an unexpected healthcare issue,” said
Ralph C. Derrickson, CEO of Carena. “It may not be serious, but it is
urgent. Often, people just need answers – is it serious enough for an
office visit or a trip to the ER? Do I need a prescription? CareSimple
can treat most things right away over the phone or webcam, at a fraction
of the cost, with no travel or waiting room.”

“CareSimple is leveraging technology to deliver simple, effective and
affordable help to consumers seeking medical care,” continued
Derrickson. “Our Seattle-based medical team is specially trained in the
use of technology to diagnose and treat everyday healthcare issues like
the flu, bladder and sinus infections, or rashes. We are not a nurse
line. We are healthcare for the way we live and work today.”

Seeking medical care today is also financially unpredictable. As of
January 1, many people found themselves on a high-deductible healthcare
plan where the first few thousand dollars of medical expenses are out of
pocket. In Seattle, routine office visits cost between $150 and $350 and
a trip to the ER can easily cost over $1,000. Often, the patient won’t
know until as much as 45 days later when they get a bill from their
insurance company.

CareSimple has straightforward, fixed pricing, so patients will always
know up front what the cost of care will be. And, if CareSimple forwards
a patient to the ER or Urgent Care, the provider will call ahead and the
patient won’t be charged for their virtual visit. This simple approach,
combined with personalized treatment plans and reports to the patient’s
primary care physicians after a CareSimple visit, allows patients to
make better-informed, cost-effective healthcare decisions for themselves
and their families.

“I went to the doctor and it cost me $250 for the office visit plus $200
in lost income,” said Corey Myers, a CareSimple patient and personal
trainer in Seattle. “CareSimple was able to provide the same diagnosis
and prescription for a fraction of the cost. And, it was on my schedule,
so I didn’t have to miss work. Next time, I am calling CareSimple first.”

CareSimple memberships cost $35 per month for families and $25 per month
for individuals. Members receive unlimited $5 visits and will have
access to a vast repository of easily searchable health and wellness
information,videos, and tools with additional features being
added monthly. Non-member pricing is $85 per visit, with new patients
paying just $10 for their first appointment.

“Our providers have always placed a huge emphasis on quality time and
education with patients,” said Amber Ratcliffe, VP of Marketing and
Business Development at Carena. “CareSimple is personalized, high-touch
care; you can see each other and the emotional side of healthcare comes
through. It’s amazing how well it works.”

CareSimple Medical Providers employs about 20 Seattle-area family and
emergency medicine doctors and nurse practitioners. Each provider is
board-certified in Washington and California and is trained to diagnose
and deliver care using phones, webcams, and traditional house calls, if
necessary. CareSimple’s medical providers are some of the most
experienced in the industry—they already treat more than 300,000
employees of large self-insured companies and hospital systems in the
Northwest as clients of parent company Carena. To date, 98 percent of
CareSimple patients have reported that their health concern was resolved
to their satisfaction.

About Carena, Inc.

Carena, Inc. is a Seattle-based team of medical, consumer service, and
technology professionals committed to delivering the best health care
experience possible. Its technology-enabled care delivery model provides
access to healthcare 24 hours a day, 365 days a year via phone, secure
video, and the traditional house call. Carena provides health care
solutions to patients through self-insured organizations, health
insurance companies, health systems and via its online
service—CareSimple.com. Carena’s innovative approach results in lower
medical costs and high patient satisfaction. Carena’s unique 24/7
services were designed to support the patient/primary care provider
relationship by providing care and education when the patient’s primary
care provider is not available. Carena is redefining health care by
changing how patients access care and providers deliver it. CareSimple’s
launch comes on the heels of a recent $14 million round of financing for
Carena, led by Catholic Health Initiatives (CHI), a national nonprofit
health system. In addition, CEO Ralph Derrickson was recently recognized
with an Industry Innovator Award from the Institute for
Healthcare Consumerism. The award highlights Carena’s success in
creating and delivering innovative healthcare solutions for businesses
and consumers. More information about Carena is available at www.CarenaMD.com.

With major technology companies and startups seriously embracing IoT strategies, now is the perfect time to attend @ThingsExpo 2016 in New York. Learn what is going on, contribute to the discussions, and ensure that your enterprise is as "IoT-Ready" as it can be! Internet of @Thi...

Internet of @ThingsExpo has announced today that Chris Matthieu has been named tech chair of Internet of @ThingsExpo 2017 New York
The 7th Internet of @ThingsExpo will take place on June 6-8, 2017, at the Javits Center in New York City, New York.
Chris Matthieu is the co-fo...

"We're a cybersecurity firm that specializes in engineering security solutions both at the software and hardware level. Security cannot be an after-the-fact afterthought, which is what it's become," stated Richard Blech, Chief Executive Officer at Secure Channels, in this SYS-CON...

Microsoft took another step toward being king of the cloud hill when it announced in January that it was releasing its Azure stack to the public. There are many technical reasons why this is cool, but more importantly, it's the psychological advantage this gives Microsoft.
Goog...

In the next forty months – just over three years – businesses will undergo extraordinary changes. The exponential growth of digitization and machine learning will see a step function change in how businesses create value, satisfy customers, and outperform their competition. In th...